Naples baseball star, Miami commit Johnny King emerging as MLB prospect

Naples High School pitcher Johnny King is royalty on the diamond. He’s a force at the plate, as he leads the team in batting average, hits and RBI. But King’s power on the mound has catapulted King as one of the top high school prospects.

“Right now I’m up to 95 mph,” King said when asked how fast his pitches hit.

The lefty King heated up to 90 miles per hour as a junior. That’s when the dreams of being a Major Leaguer came into focus.

“Once he started getting 93 and up, it’s God given talent and he has it,” Naples pitching coach Kyle Burchfield said.

“At the time I was 16 years old. So I knew I was the youngest kid in the class. I keep pushing myself to be better,” King explained.

King is committed to his dream school, the University of Miami. But he’s also getting attention by Major League scouts. Anytime King plays, an estimated 20-25 scouts show up. King’s draft stock is rising as some projections have him as a first round pick.

“I’m either going to Miami or I’m going to the big leagues,” King said. “Like it’s a win win situation. There’s not much I can say about it, but God has a plan for me and that’s the biggest thing.”

King is poised to add his name to the list of Naples High School alumns, who have gone on to play Major League ball. He would become the eighth Golden Eagle to do so.

“It’s just you don’t get to coach too many kids who are this talented but their character is so good,” Naples head coach Jimmy Nocera said. “I mean that’s what makes you love the kid.”

When asked what his pitch would be to MLB teams, King said, “how humble and how competitive I am. That what I’ll tell them. They get someone who wants to win.”